How To Curate Your Closet For YOU

I may have stopped growing, but my closet certainly hasn’t! As I unpacked my Spring and Summer attire from their seasonal storage prison I was happy to see my old favorites as well as some new modern styles I picked up the past couple years. It used to be so easy decluttering my closet because it was filled with clothing that I had outgrown, but now that I’m the same size the clothing just seems to pile up a little bit more. I also used to get a lot of hand-me-downs so donating the clothes I didn’t want anymore was so much easier than decluttering clothing that I had once selected and purchased myself. I am so deliberate and intentional with my purchases so now I feel like I simply can’t let them go, even when they no longer serve me.

In my box there were also a couple t-shirts I have never worn and a few items from my college days that perhaps didn’t suit my more “grown up” aesthetic. Yet I also noticed what I was lacking: a lot of basics. I’m a dressy girl. I had plenty of warm weather dresses from years past, but this year I have been into wearing pants as well and I actually didn’t have any tops that I could wear with them besides a few blouses for work and some unique styles that didn’t work with most of my pants.

I decided to share my thoughts on curating a closet that works for you because, like me, I believe many people have fallen out of touch with the clothing that we actually need and want opposed to what we’re told we should be wearing. We also over consume and sometimes buy for the sake of it. I know I am not perfect and have done that myself.

As we get older we have a tendency to cumulate clothing over the years and by removing the excess (and the old styles that just don’t work for us at all) and choosing high quality items that work best for us, we’re able to better manage our closets, our wallets, our comfort, and our time. Over time your closet will need less culling and curating because it is exactly how you want it.

First, you will need to take inventory of what you own.

1. Take inventory.

I took inventory of what I had and went through my closet and dressers. Cute sundresses? Check. Long dresses that were work appropriate? Almost. Work appropriate skirts? Check. Shorts? Check. Business casual tops? I had a few. Casual jeans? Yes. Casual tops that I could wear with pants? Nada. Swimwear? All set. Casual sneakers? And I kept going down the list. When you take inventory, you might not need every category, but most people need certain attire for their professions, specific clothing for activities you do often, and at least a couple super casual or extra dressy clothing for certain events. Cross off clothing categories that do not apply to your lifestyle.

But curating your closet to work for you is more than just a check list of items you’re lacking or items you already own. You have to be true to yourself. You can look over plenty of catalogues, Instagram posts with Spring fashion, and read fashion blogs, but no one can actually tell you what you need, what you like, and what you will really wear. If high heels are in, but you prefer flats, adding heels to your list is just a waste of money. Make sure to only add items that you actually need and desire, not just items you’ve been told that you should want.

 

How To Curate Your Closet To Work For You:

2. Know what you need.

In order to curate a complete closet that covers all your bases and “sparks joy” (even if you’re not a Marie Kondo fan, everyone deserves to wear clothing that brings them comfort and joy), you need to determine what most of your clothing should be. How many hours a day or week do you work? Does your job have a dress code or do you need clothing to better suit what you do? Do you spend most of your time indoors or out? How often do you go out for business meetings, dates, or trips? What are your hobbies? How often do you work out? Do you feel your best in casual or formal attire?

You need to ask questions to determine what kind of clothes you actually do wear, not what you dream of wearing. Think of the top ten outfits you wear the most. Are they work clothes? Lounge wear? Casual jeans and a t-shirt? These stop ten outfits will tell you exactly how you really dress most of the time.

And just because you are lacking in some clothing, doesn’t mean that you need to purchase an abundance of a category. Usually a few good quality items can do the trick. You do not need to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, in fact, I advise against in. The point of this exercise is to see what you actually already have that you can repurpose for the outfits first and only to fill in the gaps if you are truly missing an important piece.

It is easy to get caught up in a day dream of styles. This Spring I have seen “resort wear” and “festival fashion” posts almost everywhere. After a pandemic, people are looking forward to getting back out there, but chances are, you already have everything you need in your closet right now. In the past I accumulated too many formal dresses and date night outfits. Its not to say that I don’t like to dress up, everyone knows I do, but in my real life I don’t actually have enough formal events to attend or date nights where a cocktail dress is required. It is nice to have one or two, but my money and my closet space is better spent on clothes that I will actually wear like my puffy warm coat that I wear all winter long and blouses and dress pants for work.

So what do you do if you have a large collection of clothing that you never get to wear? I suggest picking out your absolute favorites and donating or selling the rest. Make your closet really work for you. If you’re surrounded by a bunch of clothes you never have the opportunity to wear, you’ll only increase your disappointment and decrease the space you need for clothes that you would wear all of the time.

 

So how do you collect pieces that you truly need?

3. Make a list.

I took a good hard look at what I have and felt appreciation and thankfulness for what I have instead of what I don’t. To collect pieces that you need, I suggest making a list of items that you find yourself wanting or needing to wear, but that you do not have or have enough of. Stick to that list so that you do not over spend.

Every time you get ready for work, but find that you do not have a good blazer for the office or winter socks for outdoor winter excursions, add it to your list. You do not need to obtain all of these items at once. I shop by need and by season. For example, a couple months ago I went to put on a pair of tights and found out that it had holes throughout and a run. I added a replacement pair to my list.

 

4. Only buy what you need.

Once you have your list, stick to it. We’re creatures of habit and if we’re used to casually shopping around we’ll end up with extra items in our cart that do not fit into our “needs” category. Making a list and bringing it with you can help you keep track of your shopping and your spending. Also, make sure you only go to stores that target what you’re looking for so you’re not tempted to pick up something trendy. I do my best to avoid browsing, especially in the spring when all the beautiful colors and spring styles catch my eye.

 

5. Quality over quantity.

This time tested advice is the best advice. You do not need a lot of clothes to have everything you need. What you do need is quality. You want items that will last consistent wear and tear and hopefully last you many seasons to come. If you live in a climate with cold winters you want high quality warm clothes to get you through the weather. You want clothing that will not fall part if worn often or by being put in the washing machine. If you’re looking for simple ways to make your clothes last longer, you can also check out this post here. 

 

6. Stay true to yourself.

This step is perhaps the most important, which is why I’ve saved it for last. After we’ve assessed our own style and needs we can take a look further inside to see why we accumulated so many extra clothes and styles that don’t work for us in the first place. It could be clever marketing and trends. We saw an ad or a display at Target and thought we’d feel better about ourselves or look better if we wore it too. Maybe we have a friend or follow someone online who always has the latest styles o new clothing and it made us want more too. But somehow that item fell short of our expectations. Maybe you’re influenced by not just online fashion and bloggers, but also our family and friends. We get caught up in the “keeping up with the Joneses,” mentality. Once we know how we got here, we can determine how we can prevent this in the future.

So what is your closet kryptonite? What makes you buy clothing that you later regret? What are your bad habits? They’re worth examining to prevent repetition.

 

 

Creating a curated closet that works for you means paying attention to what you do and what you love so you can dress for success every time, no matter what you’re doing or where you’re going. Sometimes it doesn’t mean adding to your closet, but instead taking away items that you do not wear and do not fit into your lifestyle.

It does not mean avoiding trends or trying new styles that make you feel confident; it is about wearing clothing that makes you feel your absolute best and works with your lifestyle too. How do you curate your closet to work for you?